The invention relates generally to a xerographic copier/xerographic reproduction machine and more particularly to a means and method for simultaneously cleaning the surface of a photoreceptor and a heated fuser roll while supplying oil to the fuser roll surface.
In the process of xerographic copying and printing, a latent image of a document being copied is formed on the surface of a photoreceptor member such as a drum or belt. The latent image is developed and transferred to a copy sheet. The transferred image is fixed in a fusing station. In one prior art fusing system, a fuser roll is used which has an outer surface or covering of polytetrafluoroethylene or silicone rubber, the former being known by the trade name Teflon.TM., to which a release agent such as silicone oil is applied, the thickness of the Teflon being on the order of several mils and the thickness of the oil being less than 1 micron. Silicone-based oils which possesses a relatively low surface energy have been found to be materials that are suitable for use in a heated fuser roll environment where Teflon constitutes the outer surface of the fuser roll. In practice, a thin layer of silicone oil is applied to the surface of the heated roll to form an interface between the roll surface and the toner images carried onto the support material. Thus a low surface energy layer is presented to the toner as it passes through he fuser nip and thereby prevents toner from offsetting to the fuser roll surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,271 whose contents are hereby incorporated by reference discloses one arrangement for oil distribution to a heated fuser roll.
With the prior art system of the type described above, several cleaning functions are required. The surface of the photoreceptor drum or belt must be cleaned of residual toner. The fuser roll surface also accumulates residual toner which must be cleaned from the surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,397 discloses a method for simultaneously cleaning the surface of a drum photoreceptor and of a pressure roll fuser. The present invention improves upon this arrangement by enabling a third function using the web that cleans the photoreceptor fuser roll surface to also supply oil to the surface of the heated fuser roll. Further the invention contemplates housing the cleaning and oil distribution system in a modular CRU (Customer Replaceable Unit)design. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for forming toner images on a photoreceptor, the apparatus including:
a heated fuser roll with an elastomer-coated surface, PA1 a release and distribution system for dispensing oil onto said fuser roll coated surface, PA1 a cleaning system for simultaneously cleaning the surface of said photoreceptor and said fuser roll surface while supplying oil to said fuser roll surface, said cleaning station comprising: PA1 a cleaning web mounted on a supply roll, PA1 means for advancing the cleaning web so as to contact and provide wiping action along one arc segment of the photoreceptor thereby cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor, PA1 means for advancing the cleaning web into an oil deposition station wherein a previously determined amount of oil is transferred to the clean side of the web and PA1 means for further advancing the web so as to bring the clean and oiled side of the web in contact with an arc segment of the fuser oil elastomer surface thereby simultaneously cleaning and oiling the surface and third means for advancing the web into a take-up roll.